Where You Belong
by Theodosius
Summary: A short story showing a glimpse of the life of Shepard and Liara on the asari homeworld of Thessia a year after the defeat of the Reapers.


**Where You Belong**

Breathing in the sweet scent of the distant and exotic Thessian ocean, Shepard relished in the soothing feeling of warm water massaging his aching shoulders as he relaxed amidst the vast expanse of a secluded paradise.

Swimming through the still, purple water that was reflecting the clear late afternoon sky above, Shepard took his time to enjoy the comfort that the ocean offered after the hectic days that had passed before. The sun lightly gleamed on his face as he studied the horizon in front of him, as well as the edge of the unusually smooth headland in the distance with dozens of tall trees clustered on top of it, each boasting a perfectly symmetrical foliage of purple which faintly lit up when exposed to the force of the wind.

The water below was crystal clear despite its purple hue and Shepard could see the surface underneath, which was essentially a smooth sunken grass hill. It had plant life of its own so different than the trees above the water level. Dozens of purple bushes slowly rocked back and forth below in unison, piled up in pairs, their strands short and thin. No fish were in sight among them, but somewhere further along the horizon, the slightest hint of a bright purple glow suggested the presence of marine life close by.

As his gaze shifted towards the beach, Shepard once again took notice of the innumerable flowers of several bright colors floating about like water lilies next to the flat slope that gradually rose above. The outline of a dense Thessian forest could be seen in the distance with trees more varied in shape and length than the ones found in the parks of the cities. The lack of tides on the planet had left places like these pristine and smooth.

And in front at the base of the slope just above the water lied Liara, waving her hand and smiling at Shepard as soon as he fixed his gaze on her. Her bare body was illuminated by the sun and it brought out a rare purple tinge of her skin as opposed to her normal blue color which he was more used to seeing. Asari didn't usually use swimwear when among their own kind or when they were in isolated beaches such as this one, and they only did so when other species shared the same space as them. Shepard was quick to get used to that specific trait of their culture, and admired the asari's tenacity, but also their willingness to make the effort to offer a familiar environment to members of other races if they felt the need to.

Liara had chosen this place for their trip and he was glad that she did so – nobody else was around as not many people knew about it nor was it one of the popular sites for bathing and swimming, which usually had many leisure facilities around.

The perfectly still water of the ocean offered no resistance as Shepard slowly headed towards Liara after a good few minutes of relaxation that he hadn't realized he needed that much. His bondmate was enjoying herself, as well, smiling contentedly as she watched the setting sun in the distance, which still softly touched her skin.

It wasn't long before Shepard neared her, brushing against some of the flowers in the water that were in the way, and eventually feeling the smooth ground underneath as he closed in. He ran a hand over his wet hair and grinned when Liara let out an audible chuckle.

"You really liked it, didn't you?" she asked him as he approached.

"Yeah, I did. You can't ride waves here like back home, but I love how tranquil it is," Shepard replied, "And the view is stunning. I'm glad we came here."

"So am I," Liara said, "This is where I went to be with myself when I wasn't out exploring remote digs. I would go up a hill nearby and watch the sun set. It is a truly magnificent sight."

A little humming noise beside them made Shepard register the figure in Liara's arms. It was their newborn daughter, looking up to her father with bewilderment as he stood above them. Her blue eyes, exactly like her mother's, were filled with confusion and wonderment. Her little hands were out of control, and her small feet were kicking in the air. Her head crest, while clearly noticeable, had just started to grow the last few days, and was unusually pointy. Her skin was blue like her mother's, though the late afternoon light made it appear purple, just like the sky above them was. She was a bit plump, but only because she was well-fed. Shepard knelt down beside her and grinned affectionately, putting her tiny hand in his and getting the same perplexed stare in return. Liara chuckled as she witnessed the exchange.

"Our daughter hates me," Shepard commented as he let out a laugh.

"No, she doesn't," Liara replied earnestly, "She has been pouting all day. I have been trying to get her to laugh or even smile, but I have not been very successful."

"She's eaten, right?", Shepard inquired.

"Yes, she has. I just gave her some milk a while ago when you were out in the water."

"Then there is no excuse for the grumpy attitude," Shepard said while he stroked Velyria's head crest tenderly. That usually cheered her up, but today she seemed bent on being in a bad mood.

Deciding that he was fighting a losing battle, Shepard sat down on the grass beside Liara, their daughter still in her arms. He rummaged through the cylindrical metal basket with food between them that they had brought on their trip, and found a sandwich in one of the small heaters inside that he had bought from one of the human vendors in Armali earlier in the day.

"Oh, good idea," Liara said once Shepard started chewing the tomato sandwich with apparent delight, "I am hungry myself. I had a shilasa saved up for dinner."

"I still don't know how you can eat that," Shepard replied, watching Liara search for her meal in the bakset with her one free hand, "And the fact that you don't like pizza astounds me."

"It is too spicy," Liara answered defensively, "I am not used to such a sharp taste."

"I know, but there are different flavours", Shepard explained while taking a bite out of his sandwich, "I just have good memories of hunting for any sign of pizza on the ships with my friends when I was a kid. It was like treasure for us. I've loved it ever since then. Everybody back home loves it, too. I think that even Garrus would have liked it if he wasn't dextro."

"You desperately want to have somebody to eat pizza with," Liara said as she chuckled, finally getting the small sprinkly ball that the asari called shilasa out of the basket, "So much that you are even willing to risk your best friend's health."

"Hopefully our little wing will love it," Shepard replied, a hopeful look on his face as he glanced towards Velyria, who was still giving him her trademark scrutinizing stare in return.

Lying on the ground, their feet almost touching the water beneath, Shepard and Liara watched the horizon as they ate their respective meals. The shilasa had a very distinct sweet taste that lingered for a long time afterwards, and it wasn't to Shepard's liking, even though it was a very popular meal for the asari – one that Liara apparently enjoyed herself. Humans would think of it as a type of fast food since it wasn't usually an item often seen in restaurants, but it was something that could be bought from vendors around the city, and there were supposedly different flavours to it – as shown by the various colors of the sprinkles that encompassed the round ball. It always seemed to taste the same for Shepard, though.

The only sounds that occasionally broke the silence of the quiet nook were either Velyria's gurgling or the chirping of a distant Thessian bird that echoed throughout the forest behind them. It was not menacing, and it brought an odd sense of comfort, a feeling that they were kept safe by the guards of nature.

As they finished up with the food, Shepard noticed that the faintest of stars could already be seen through the clear purple sky. They were reflected in the still water of the ocean in front of them, which brought an effect of a mirrored mirage.

"You mentioned a nearby hill where you used to head out," Shepard said, "If you want to go, now's a good a time as any."

"Oh, absolutely," Liara replied enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up with excitement, "I almost forgot about that. It is not too far from here. We will not even need to use the skycar."

Shepard got up on his feet and offered Liara a hand in doing the same. She donned the wavy beige and red dress reserved for the warmest of days that she had taken off while she had been out swimming and sunbathing. It was clustered with tiny round ornaments of gold that had the tendency to reflect the sun into Shepard's eyes in clear hot days. A human might have viewed it as glamorous, but such a light outfit was a common item for the asari, leaving their midriff, shoulders and legs bare.

Putting his shirt on and grabbing a hold of their basket, he checked to see whether they had forgotten anything and then proceeded to follow Liara and a whimpering Velyria who she tried to calm down. They were going through a broad path among the scattered trees in the direction of one of the headlands that the bay they had been to had formed around. The occasional wind that blew as the night started coming down made for a beautiful blue hue emanated around the tress and reflected onto the ground. That effect always frightened Velyria and it didn't help in putting her at ease.

"She is quite the handful, isn't she?" Shepard said as he tried to cheer Velyria up, caressing her head crest with care while his bondmate rocked her back and forth.

"You did want her to have your knack for trouble, Shepard, if I recall correctly," Liara aswered as she beamed at him, "Your wish has apparently been granted."

"So it would seem," Shepard replied with a chuckle.

"We are actually lucky so far," Liara said, turning back to look at Velyria's sorrowful eyes, "The real challenge is restraining her from using biotics when she gains the ability to, but that won't be for a long while."

"Should we be expecting a lot of broken Prothean artifacts and ship models back home anytime soon?"

"No… I hope," Liara answered in a dubious reassurance, "She will not be able to do much when she is still young. Only by the time she learns to control her biotics will they actually develop."

There weren't any paved roads on the surface of Thessia's natural environment. The only sign that a path led somewhere was the cut grass and a rare holographic marker which usually had a map and other relevant information of the surroundings and didn't appear in full size unless it was approached by somebody. Apart from that, there was nothing that would make a person assume that the planet was actually inhabited by a space-faring species.

Walking past their parked skycar, they continued to climb the hill in the direction of the ocean. Shepard noticed that a small black bird-like creature with two sets of tiny wings and short legs made its way across the purple sky. It let out a similar chirp to the one he had heard before – a faint, meek sound. Velyria had also taken notice of it and locked her eyes onto it as it slowly flew past, distracting her from her whimpering.

"This was a Ranyris, wasn't it?" Shepard asked Liara, getting a somewhat surprised expression on her face in return as she looked back at him.

"Yes, that's right. How did you recognize it?"

"I read a bit about the area from the extranet before we set out," Shepard replied as he shrugged nonchalantly, "I wanted to learn more about the place beforehand. The article mentioned that this bird could often be seen in this part of Thessia."

"I am impressed, Shepard," Liara said, smiling teasingly at him, "You are correct. The Ranyris are carnivores that usually feed themselves with fish, but are otherwise very feeble creatures. They need the wind to charge themselves with the energy that the trees give out so that they can fly for longer periods of time and hunt for food. Thessia's biggest ocean and thickest forests are all in the southern hemisphere, and that's why most of the Ranyris can be found here."

Shepard and Liara's exchange as they discussed the creature abruptly stopped once they took notice of a salarian walking towards them from the opposite side of the path, a small floating probe following him as he did so. They hadn't stumbled upon another person in the area during their trip so far. He was wearing a rather light short-sleeved blue shirt with orange clasps on either side and an equally bright protruding collar supporting his long neck, as well as a short pair of wavy orange trousers that had an unfamiliar insignia embedded in them. As he closed in, the salarian grinned mirthfully and greeted them in a rather high-pitched voice.

"Hello there! Beautiful place, isn't it? Perfect for the documentary of Thessia I'm working on. It's a gorgeous time of the year. Photography has become a very well-paid field of work lately. I've always been curious about that!"

Before either Shepard or Liara got to reply, the salarian's gaze landed on the baby in the asari's arms, and his grin even widened, if that was physically possible.

"What a cute baby you've got there! What's her name?"

"Velyria," Liara answered politely. Her daughter gave one of her usual moonstruck stares as a response. The salarian seemed suddenly taken aback by Liara's reply. His two large pupils gawked at the two parents as he pointed his finger at them in confusion.

"What? But then you must be... Yes!" he snapped his fingers at the revelation, "You're Commander Shepard, aren't you? And you're Doctor Liara T'Soni! It is my most sincere pleasure to meet you – my name is Aegohr Khotasa Nasurn Reccost Ghoel Jorgen."

"You know our baby's name?" Shepard asked with interest.

"Oh, certainly," the salarian said as he waved his hand dismissively, "Everybody who is not stupid enough to recognize Commander Shepard and Liara T'Soni's names knows they also had a baby two months ago. May I take a picture with you? I promise I won't include it in the documentary! Well, maybe only after the credits roll!"

It would have been excruciatingly hard to say "no" to the expectant look on the enthusiastic salarian's face, but Shepard and Liara still glanced at each other for a nod of confirmation before the former Commander replied.

"Sure thing."

After the probe had taken a picture of them all, the salarian looked as ecstatic as ever. His joy was infectious, however, and it wasn't long before Liara and Shepard also found themselves grinning as they chatted a bit more with him after that. Only Velyria didn't seem to be particularly enjoying herself, but at least she was too confused by the whole predicament to cry this time.

"All right," the salarian said as he sighed, "I have to go down to the bay to get everything set up for my midnight panorama. I hope we'll see each other again someday!"

"It has been a pleasure, Jorgen," Liara replied sincerely.

"Looking forward to this documentary of yours," Shepard added.

The salarian walked down the path Shepard and Liara had come from, the floating recording platform hovering right beside him as he did so. The purple sky over their heads was darkening quickly, revealing more and more of the magnificent firmament above them while they continued on the path to the top of the hill. Shepard looked at Velyria with a smile on his face and took out his arms, waiting for a nod from Liara before picking up their daughter himself.

"Did you hear that, little wing? You're already famous!" Shepard exclaimed facetiously at the speechless child.

"I hope she will have it easy like us," Liara said as she leaned her head on Shepard's shoulder affectionately, "People have been really kind to allow us to have the normal life we want here. No reporters, no crowds for autographs, no interviewers. I am so grateful for that."

"Me too, Liara," Shepard replied, smiling at his bondmate while rocking their daughter, "At first I was afraid we wouldn't be able to find anywhere remotely peaceful, but after the first couple of hectic months… I've been finding it easy to leave the war out of my mind, and I'm now living a life I've always wanted to have with you."

"You are such a flatterer," Liara spoke as she teased him, pressing her lips lightly on his in a sweet, tender kiss.

As they talked with one another, Shepard and Liara hadn't realized that they had almost reached the top of the hill. The slope that they had been climbing was now an even path out of the forest, the ocean already in view. A gust of wind hit them as they reached the peak, the glowing trees now left behind them.

The clear sky was now revealed above them in all its glory. The purple hue was gone, replaced with a tapestry of stars that twinkled ever so slightly, Shepard's eyes instinctively following those that did. He also recognized the familiar orange nebulae that were greater in size as they glimmered along with the rest. The most breath-taking part of the firmament, however, was the horizontal band of stars that could faintly be seen in an even more distant part of the cosmos, marked with a distinct brown tinge that was spread on either side of them. Shepard couldn't help but gasp as he took it all in, noticing the fact that the very same pattern was reflected in the ocean beneath. The only difference was the subtle purple glow emanating from certain spots in the water, a sign of fish swimming in the dark underneath.

Mersmerized by the scene in front of him, he had almost failed to register the movement in his arms. Looking down, he saw that Velyria had her blue eyes locked at the enormous constellation, her mouth open in wonderment, her one hand reached out towards the stars. Liara right beside them put her arm around Shepard, a smile on her lips as she gazed at the marvel they were just a tiny, insignificant part of.

"This is… absolutely gorgeous," Shepard spoke in awe, "I've spent most of my life on starships, I've been to planets people haven't even heard of, I've travelled across every sector of the known galaxy… But I have never seen something like this."

"I am glad you got to, Shepard," Liara said, "After spending my first night here all those years ago, I just couldn't help but wonder what was out there in the galaxy, what mysteries were there to be discovered, what other alien worlds and cultures existed. This was my inspiration. I cannot thank my mother enough for bringing me here."

Sitting down on the ground next to each other, both parents looked at their fidgeting daughter in Shepard's arms. Her tiny lips were curved into an adorable toothy smile, her arm was still stretched towards the Milky Way, the light of the stars reflected in her eyes.

"Yes, little wing, you will fly to the stars yourself someday," Liara said with affection as she put her other hand on Velyria's head crest, "It is a beautiful galaxy we live in."

"Yeah. There are so many interesting places out there," Shepard replied, pointing his finger towards somewhere in the universe, "Even Earth is somewhere among these stars. That is where your dad's people are from. Then there's Tuchanka where your grandpa Wrex is leading the krogan to a new golden age of their own. Palaven is most likely there, as well, and it's where the turians and your uncle Garrus are from. And somewhere among the furthest of stars is the Far Rim, where the geth and the quarians now live on their home planet together. By the time you grow up, it's going to be a wonderful place to visit. Hope your aunt Tali will invite us there in her new house. You will be able to go to all these planets."

"And you will make the biggest scientific discovery of the century. Maybe you will find a way to travel to other galaxies," Liara added, her eyes on her daughter's, an expectant look on the mother's face.

"Look at that. Your mother has already decided your future for you," Shepard said, chuckling at the thought, earning himself a playful shove from his bondmate, who let out a laugh herself.

"While I will be more than happy if she were to follow in my footsteps, what I want most is for her to pursue whatever she wants to in life. I am sure she will make us proud either way, Shepard."

"I know she will," Shepard replied, kissing Liara's forehead lovingly, and added with a grin, "And if she doesn't want to be an archeologist or a scientist… Maybe her sisters will."

"I appreciate the thought, Shepard," Liara beamed at him with a radiant smile, "Maybe they will."

Having such a breath-taking view of the galaxy put things into perspective as to just how much was at stake during the Reaper war and what they could have lost if the invaders had won. It was truly an amazing place to live in and a fascinating, never-ending mystery to explore, but Shepard felt more at place here than anywhere else he had been to before. He had found his home in this vast universe he was beholding with his family at this very moment. He belonged with Liara and their children.

**The End**


End file.
